Gary R Califf

Sacred Values, Strategic Communication, and Military Operations in Afghanistan Gary R Califf

What legal and moral authority trumps principles of non-interference, how are changes best accomplished, and why would Afghanis willingly cooperate? Sacred value themes as enshrined in UN agreements are the only criteria that will ultimately prove effective in evaluating endeavors to improve governance and socioeconomic development in the pursuit of global peace and stability. They express the deepest, innate human capacities that appeal universally to humans across time and boundaries. The yearning of the human soul, heart, and mind is drawn into their narrative pursuit. ISAF success as change-agents rests in effective strategic communication, tying together actions and words in IO through military operations that provide the desired, observed, and experienced improvements in practice of the sacred value themes. If successful, Afghanistan will have formed its new identity by living into a new narrative that documents the noble quest of the pursuit of the sacred values.